With an earth-shattering roar, the [Demonic Energy] swirling in the sky tore open a new dimension. From the dimension, ripped open like a serpent’s maw, pitch-black [Demonic Energy] poured out, as if the tree of darkness were planting its roots into this world. The already thick [Demonic Energy] deepened even further, pressing down on their hearts with suffocating force. Everything around seemed to dissolve into darkness under the overwhelming flow. “Black Tower Master…” Raon bit his lip as he stared at the Black Tower Master standing before the [Gate to the Devildom]. The world-ending [Demonic Energy] had vanished, and yet… the man felt even stronger. ‘He called it the Shaded Spirit World, didn’t he?’ “T-The Gate to the Devildom has opened…” Outside the tower, holding off [monsters] and [Demons], Greer’s eyes widened. “Is that really true?” He trembled, blood running down his brow, unable to wipe it away. Raon nodded calmly at Greer and the knights of Owen. “That swirling black rift in the sky is the [Gate to the Devildom].” He raised his finger and pointed to the dimensional tear above. -Opening the [Gate to the Devildom] from the human world first… Wrath let out a scoffing laugh. -That one’s truly insane. He doesn’t even bother to think of the consequences. He sneered, saying the Black Tower Master’s head seemed to be filled with dung instead of a brain. ‘Is it really that dangerous?’ Raon exhaled a clouded breath and glanced at Wrath. -Of course! A [Demon] or [Monster] on the level of a Demon King—maybe not quite like me, but close—could suddenly emerge. And if that gate explodes, everyone here will die! Wrath twisted his lips as he glared at the gate. -The only good news is that the gate isn’t complete. Or rather, it was prevented from being completed. His gaze shifted to Chamber, with a surprisingly impressed look. ‘So no Demon Kings, just high-level Demons? That’s fine too.’ It’d be better to manipulate Demon Kings than to deal with half-baked elites. Besides, Sloth was still napping atop a mountain, Gluttony was making rounds at an ice cream shop, and Lust was likely lost somewhere, so chances were high they weren’t even in the Devildom. ‘That just leaves three…’ Envy wouldn’t come. And the other two—Greed and Pride—’must not’ show up. Wrath’s name held no sway with them. If those two appeared, retreat had to be considered. “The Gate to the Devildom…” Burren’s lips trembled, finding it hard to believe even with his own eyes. “Yeah. Now that we’ve come this far, we might as well fight some demons too.” Martha licked her lips with a tinge of anticipation. Runaan comforted the nervous Light Wind Palace swordsmen, pushing back the chilling [Demonic Energy]. Chamber looked at the rippling [Gate to the Devildom] and shrugged. “An… exit to the Devildom?” Jayna, having just landed, knelt on one knee and swallowed dryly. “Right. You can’t go in, but things can come out.” Chamber gave a wry smile, saying it was a one-way path. -Just like that old brat said. Wrath nodded at the increasingly unstable [Gate to the Devildom]. -It’s a half-formed gate—only allows exit from the Devildom to here, not the other way around. He clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Did you make it that way, Chamber?” Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. “Yeah. After you entered the tower, I read a bit of that guy’s spellwork.” She nodded, saying she had inserted interference spells into the Black Tower Master’s magic. “You read his thoughts too?” “Sure did. That bastard planned to fight us here and escape to the Devildom if your grandpa showed up. So I blocked the route.” She wagged her finger, saying his plan was far too obvious. “W-Wouldn’t it have been better to prevent the gate from opening at all…?” Dorian blinked, confused. “That’s impossible. They were far more prepared. Even preventing them from coming out was tough.” She said erasing the exit was the best she could do and popped a candy into her mouth. “Of course, that’s not all.” “I also removed one of the pillars from the Shaded Spirit World.” “So we’ve got another mission now.” Karoon took a short breath and gripped his sword. “Close the [Gate to the Devildom]. Though our top priority—taking the Black Tower Master’s head—hasn’t changed.” Chamber nodded, seemingly impressed by Karoon’s calmness despite the situation. “The Black Tower Master—” She was about to continue when— A bizarre shriek, like thousands of people screaming at once, rang out as the sky turned pitch black. The [Gate to the Devildom] split wide open, and a massive dragon cloaked in darkness emerged. Its presence was on another level—it carried the immense aura of a real dragon. The black dragon roared as if declaring dominion over this world, glaring down at the humans below. Chamber narrowed her eyes and flicked her finger. The dragon’s neck was torn in half, and its massive body crashed into the earth. The lifeless black dragon plummeted, crushing countless [monsters] from the Black Tower. But that was only the beginning. Unfamiliar [monsters] of all shapes and forms began to pour through the [Gate to the Devildom]. ‘So those are Devildom monsters?’ Raon narrowed his eyes at the new arrivals. ‘They don’t seem too different from the Black Tower ones.’ Unlike the initial dragon, these newcomers didn’t appear that strong. -You’re right. They’re weaklings. -The real threats are watching from within the gate. If they think they can devour this world, they’ll descend. “So many different types of monsters…” Burren swallowed dryly as he saw the multitude of forms. “Damn lizard bastards! They show up all the time when we don’t need them, but now they’re nowhere to be found!” Krein stomped, cursing the absent dragons. “Forget those hypocrites and focus on the fight in front of you!” Martha shouted, taking the lead among the swordsmen. “I’ll freeze them all.” Runaan stepped forward, spreading her silver frost. “These monsters can’t be stronger than our Palace Lord!” “We trained under that man! There’s nothing we can’t beat!” The Light Wind Palace swordsmen charged forward, trusting their captains and training. “Owen can’t lose to Zieghart! Knights, forward!” At Prince Greer’s command, the Owen knights moved up, forming ranks. Though the [Gate to the Devildom] terrified them, the sight of the Zieghart swordsmen reignited their courage. “Our role is vital. We have to support the swordsmen and knights from behind!” Jayna retreated to the rear and cast support and healing magic while firing attack spells at incoming [monsters]. Though the elite mages’ magic was powerful, the [monsters] from the Devildom had high elemental resistance and charged forward regardless. Mark Gorton slashed the necks of the [monsters] charging at the mages. “So annoying. Just die already!” Trevin, shielding his upper body, unleashed a sword technique. A crimson force exploded from his blade, obliterating ten bat-shaped [monsters] descending from above. Raon drew twin arcs of flame and frost with the Divine and Demonic Swords. The red and blue petals bloomed from the trees and swept across the land, erasing hundreds of [monsters]. Karoon’s aura-infused sword sliced through hiding [Demons], bursting them apart without resistance. Despite not being naturally resistant to [Demonic Energy], it didn’t seem to affect him. Truly, a transcendent. “At this rate, we can win!” The allied forces, encouraged by Raon and Karoon’s strength, surged forward, cutting down the [monsters]. “Don’t exert yourselves too much.” Chamber looked at the swordsmen with a cool gaze. “Huh? What do you mean…” Raon tilted his head, unsure of her warning— The corpse of the black dragon Chamber had killed began to float and regenerate mid-air. It wasn’t just regenerating—it seemed reborn. Its jet-black eyes gleamed as it roared again. The [monsters] Raon had sliced and the [Demons] Karoon had burst began to rise again. “[Dark Spirit World doesn’t just open the gate—it grants special power to [Demons] and [monsters] here. Those killed here will probably keep coming back.” Chamber shook her head, warning not to waste strength on futile killing. Raon let out a rough breath and glared at the Black Tower Master. Despite the [Dark Spirit World working as intended, the Black Tower Master’s eyes burned with rage. “What’s with that reaction? The resurrection spell succeeded, didn’t it…?” Raon turned to Chamber. “I told you, right? I removed one more pillar.” She smirked, candy in her mouth. “The original spell would’ve revived ‘everyone’ killed here—including the floor masters and Garet, the Demon Thunder.” She spun her candy and shook her head. “But I cut that part out. Anyone who died ‘before’ the spell activated won’t return. And even those reviving now aren’t perfect.” She smiled proudly, satisfied with her sabotage. “Chamber! Raon Zieghart!” The Black Tower Master shrieked from above, furious that the floor masters and Garet didn’t return. The darkness resonated with his rage. He didn’t unleash a horde but instead struck Raon with a bolt of [Demonic Energy] lightning. A black thunderbolt appeared before Raon’s eyes in an instant. Chamber flicked the hand holding her candy. The black lightning fell as harmless as thread on her nose. “I told you. Play with me.” She floated up into the air, glancing down at them. “You know what to do, right? It’ll be tough, but I’m counting on you.” She smiled and rose to face the Black Tower Master. His voice oozed with murderous rage—he clearly despised Chamber for interfering. “Come on, let’s fight like proper mages.” With a snap of her fingers, the two vanished—likely moving to a one-on-one battlefield. “W-What just happened…?” Krein stammered, confused. “No need to panic. We know what we have to do.” Raon nodded at the increasingly powerful [monsters] pouring out of the [Gate to the Devildom]. “From now on, we’ll give everything we’ve got to close that gate.” It was no longer about the duel—it was about stopping that gate. ‘How do we close it?’ Raon glanced at Wrath. ‘If even you don’t know…’ -I’ve said this a million times—magic and spells aren’t my thing! I just smashed through with brute force! He boasted about punching through the dimensions when entering and exiting the Devildom. ‘That’s not something to be proud of… ah!’ Raon narrowed his eyes at the gate, which seemed to be growing larger. ‘Maybe that brute-force approach is actually easier.’ As the gate opened, Raon’s own [Wrath] was intensifying. If he could channel all of it, he might be able to close the gate—just like Wrath. -Hmm. Doesn’t seem impossible. -It’ll be tough if it grows larger, but right now? You can do it. You’ll just have to deal with interruptions. As he raised his hand, stronger [monsters] began emerging from the gate. With the gate expanding, more powerful beings were appearing. And it wasn’t just [monsters]. [Demons] with humanoid forms—horns, wings, or both—began to appear among them. -As I said, they were watching from inside. Now that they think they can consume this world, they’re coming out. Wrath narrowed his eyes, saying these [Demons] would be formidable. ‘Then I have to stop them quickly.’ Raon tightened his grip on the Divine and Demonic Swords. ‘But where did that one go?’ The [Demon] who had appeared near the middle levels—the one who was clearly different from the rest. ‘No time to think about that now.’ Raon stepped forward, moving past the Light Wind Palace swordsmen. “We’re closing the [Gate to the Devildom]. Make way.” His quiet command as the Palace Lord changed the swordsmen’s eyes. Burren, Martha, and Runaan stepped forward from the defensive line. Burren’s sharp wind cut down the [monsters] ahead. Martha’s heavy sword exploded the charging [monsters] into black blood. Runaan’s frost froze and shattered the [monsters] falling from above. The Light Wind Palace maintained formation and crushed every reviving [Monster] behind them. The swordsmen advanced, destroying anything in their path. “…That’s far enough.” From among the fallen [monsters], shadows writhed. The Black King Sigel and his subordinate [Demons] rose. Wielding a massive sword in his right and a spear in his left, he spread a black battle cloak. Raon chuckled—and in that moment, his body transcended space. The Heavenly Drive thundered down like lightning. The Soul Requeim Sword pierced in with icy precision. Both targeted Sigel’s neck and heart. Sigel barely blocked the strike, but his arms trembled like the tentacles of an octopus, overwhelmed by Raon’s strength. “That’s not for someone like you to decide…” Raon pushed forward and twisted his lips. “The strong are the ones who choose.”